


A Trick to the Eye

by TrashBin_Archives



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Twins, Angst, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:35:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26960752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrashBin_Archives/pseuds/TrashBin_Archives
Summary: Hop knows that she can change the way people view and feel the world around them, but her words remain true through it all.
Relationships: Hop/Yuuri | Gloria
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	A Trick to the Eye

Hop stood at the other side of the dirt path, across where the shrine was in the middle of the forest in front of a large lake. There stood a girl- no, a woman he thought he would never see again. She wasn't wearing the grey jacket she had and the pink dress either, she left them here in Postwick before she dissapeared. Instead, she sport a pair of dark red jeans, a white shirt with an art design on it, and a dark grey jacket with beige color fur inside it. Her dark brown hair wasn't a chin length Bob anymore but was grown out to the point wear she can make a ponytail out of it.

He stared in shock at the sight. She didn't notice him yet, off staring ahead into the mystical scenery. He can feel his eyes water up and his legs start to move closer.

'She's here...' he thought. 'She is actually here!'

His mind was filled to the bringing with happiness and so much to say filled his head that he didn't noticed the branch he stepped on and his overstimulated brain stopped once she turned quickly to what's behind her.

She seemed shocked as well and he stopped in his tracks, caught in eye contact.

"... Hop?" She asked, the accent she had now gone and replaced with another he never heard before.

"Gloria...?" He whispered back, still feeling surreal in the moment.

Even though her clothes changed and her voice did, her face and some parts of her hair barely changed. Sure, growing up, her facial features sharper and she is way more intimidating that what she used to be when they were just twelve years old, but the long part of her hair that rested at the right side of her face stayed the same, even after all of these years. Her eyes remained full of curiosity and passion, something he thought would never happened after everything life thrown at her.

Before he knew it, he was holding her in his arms. The memory of himself running towards her seemed to not register in his memory. He blamed it at the overjoyed happiness he felt after seeing her again ten years later. He never hugged someone so tight before, even tighter than when Leon won the league. He felt her warm arms slowly wrap around him in return and her face buried into his shoulder, her hands grasping onto the back of his white lab coat he forgot to take off again. His face buried into her hair and picking up the scent of forest greens along with an unfamiliar smell he never expirienced before. It didn't matter anyway, it was more proof that this wasn't an illusion and he wasn't going mad after long hours cooped up in the lab.

"Hey mate, you're crushing me." Gloria breathed

"Oh, sorry about that."

* * *

They're both sitting on the steps. Watching the night sky and trying to find any constellations they can see through the many branches blocking them. Moments like these have always been notsalgic. He remembered the days they were just kids and looking into the sky in the wild area and just stargazing and making up constellation on the fly.

Their conversations were mostly lead by Gloria since she wanted to keep up with Hop's life. He can hear her sigh of relief when she found out that her Pokemon were safe and sound in the pokemon lab under Hop's and Sonia's care. Though, she did feel bad when Hop talked about how much they missed her but seemed to understand, surprisingly to Hop but not as much to Gloria. She did ask them to come with her but they all declined and wanted to stay except her long time best friend, Zoroark.

Hop looked down to see Gloria's Zoroark resting peacefully beside her while she gently petted him. It had been awhile he had seen her long time best friend. Her relationship with her Zoroark is just as the same as His with his Dubwool. The only difference is that they first met in the Isle of Armor and they have been known in Postwick before her journey as the "Illusionist Troublemakers". He didn't really see it as a bad thing though. Together, they made all those times together more exciting than he could possibly think of for the quiet town they lived in. All those times where Zoroark when he was just a Zorua, make unforgettable sceneries and experiences all through a trick of the eyes. That made it even more exciting when they battle and especially when he evolved. He would turn Monostoke City into a rain forest or Circhester into a beach with just one trick room in a short burst.

It was a shame that her reputation back home shadowed almost to all of the talents she had.

Hop knew Gloria was a special person. It hurt that nobody saw the genius and mischevious trickster that he saw. They only saw the six year old troublemaker back home in comparison with her Golden Boy Brother and the rest of the region only saw her as a rival and the twin sister to Victor. She had a hidden gem that nobody saw but him and he tried his damnest to make everyone see it shine. However, he now knows that she was still learning how to master illusions with Zoroark at the time and her battles with him and Victor were also practice of harnessing Zoroark's full potential with his power. She wasn't skilled enough to make her light show to the stadium. Everything she did seem pretty normal to any other beginning illusionists and it wasn't as eye catching as Hop thought at the time.

He remembers the day they returned to Postwick after the tournament to be greeted with a surprise barbecue party and everyone cheering for Victor for becoming the champion and Hop for going so far into his journey... Except Gloria. Sure, he and Leon congratulated her but nobody else did. He and Victor we're given gifts and cheers from everyone in town while Gloria just stand by with no one giving her a glimpse. He remembered seeing her go all alone back home and watch as her bedroom lights go out.

He'd wish he could have understood her situation more but he was a naive child that was blissfully ignorant of his own family's favoritism in comparison to Gloria being painfully aware of hers. When everyone realized that she left without a trace, leaving her team (Except Zoroark) behind, it caught him by surprise and started desperately looking for her along with Victor and other gym leaders across the region, to no avail. Now, he understands why she left for so long. He barely keeps in contact with his mom and grandparents, who are so caught up with his brother's life that they hardly know his. Her mother cared about her being as perfect as her twin brother but she was far from that and she hated that fact. Always being compared made her self image plummet. Her hobbies and rough housing were looked down upon by her mother. It shaped her as a rebellious person who never got her true self shown or acknowledged all her life for what she really was. Hop believed that she just wanted to find herself again after all those years of pressure to be perfect.

Now, their conversations came to a halt and are now back to stargazing. Wanting to talk about something (and get some answers), he spoke.

"Hey Gloria," he started "where were you all this time. I was worried sick about you."

She hummed and spoke, "I took a ferry to another region. I just wanted to get out of this place and focus on what I'm truly talented at, y'know."

Hop hummed in understanding. He would have done that too if he were in her shoes.

She sighed, "I'm sorry for leaving you all without saying goodbye."

Gloria fiddled with the bottom rim of her shirt, "I just though it I told people that I was leaving, then they would try to make me stay no matter what."

"You know me and Victor would never do that, especially Leon." Hop said

"Yeah, but you know how my mom is." Gloria said

"Well, what happened? Where did you go? What did you do?" Hop asked, albeit rather quickly

Gloria chuckled, "Slow down, mate. I went to Unova and camped around Castelia City."

"Oh! That explains your accent now!" Hop realized and that would probably explain the unfamiliar smell

Gloria laughed, "Yep! Although it was not easy to live there. Turns out that Unovan apartments are quite more expensive than I thought it would be so I lived in the streets and PokeCenter from time to time."

She leaned back but her hands held her in place while her legs crossed, "I hate to admit it, but I ended up resorting to stealing for food since I barely had any money and I left all of my camping gear here at Postwick, including the berries. I guess I forgot about them or thought I didn't need them for some reason."

"What about pokemon battling? Didn't you get any money from that?" Hop asked

"Yeah well... It wasn't much and some of the trainers didn't keep up with the bargain most of the time. All the money was for food, potions, and revives for Zoroark." Gloria sighed

"Oh... Are you okay now?" He asked

"Oh yeah, definitely!" She said, "I manage to get some help along the way. Unexpected but I'm grateful for it none the less."

She continued, "I remembered that day when I tried to pick pocket a man in a white robe down the street. He seemed at his mid thirties and thought he was an easy target."

Gloria chuckled, "Turns out I under-estimated him and got my butt and Zoroark's butt kicked by his Leopard and Scrafty. I tries to run away but his Drapion caught me anyways."

"I thought i'd be sent to the police, or worse, get sent back home. But the guy asked me who I was and told me he thinks he saw me from somewhere."

"Did you tell him? What happened next?" Hop asked, already wrapped into her story

Gloria uncrossed her legs and smirked, "I told him my name but to my surprise, he realized that I was the rival and missing girl from Galar. He told me what he thought and well... I bawled my eyes out. That was the first time anyone had recognized me in Unova. I thought everything was over for sure. Surprisingly, he didn't turn me into the police and instead, brought me to a coffee shop, ordered me some food, and ask me to tell him what happened."

Hop's brows furrowed, "Wait, so you thought it was a good idea to tell a stranger you just tried to rob your run away story?"

"I didn't trust him at first either." She answered, "But then, he told me that he is a former member of the elite four and has seen my matches through the TV. He told me that he saw potential in my fighting style with Zoroark and wondered how I ended up in the streets in Unova."

"At first, I was skeptical but then I realized that his face was way too familar to the elite four guy he was talking about and his Pokemon and battle tatics were the same as when I fought him."

She traced the lining of the stone bricks on the floor, "I eventually trusted him and told him my story. He listened all the way and gave me an opportunity I will always be thankful for."

Hop asked, "What was it?"

Gloria pushed herself off the stairs and onto her feet, stretching out her arms and back. She huffed and put her hands on her hips, turning to face Hop again, "That man gave me an oppurtunity to train under him as his apprentice and take care of me as my guardian. I obviously said yes since I couldn't handle another day in the streets and that was the best decision I ever made in my life. He helped me so much with training Zoroark and as a result, I became an illusionist."

Hop stared. So much has happened and he didn't even know it. So much happening across the sea from him. He smiled and stood up, placing a hand onto her back, "I'm glad everything is better for you now, but who was that guy that took you in?"

Gloria smiled, "His name was Grimsley."

"Wait, _that_ Grimsley?" Hop asked, trying to make sure he heard that correctly

"Yeah!" Gloria said happily, "He specializes in dark types so he helped me out a lot. Got me back up to my feet again and I manage to find myself again under his care. Now, I consider him as my dad at this point."

Gloria kicked a rock and rested her hands behind her head, "Now, I'm just taking a vacation break from my job for a week and decided to come back here to see what's up."

"But didn't you say that you don't like it in Galar anymore?" Hop asked

"Yeah, I did say that." Gloria admitted, "But I just wanted to come back to a place a remember all the good memories I have left here. I didn't plan on seeing anyone when I came here but I guess that assumption was wrong."

"You... don't want to see anyone?" Hop said. Gloria can hear the sadden tone in his voice, "But Victor misses you. Sonia misses you. Leon misses you. The gym leaders miss you. So many people miss you and yet you don't want to visit them."

Hop moved from being beside her to facing her face to face, "Victor spent half a year looking for you and so did I. Leon led a search party and Nessa managed to get the news involved. So many people were worried about you. Heck! They probably think you are dead!"

Gloria looked away. Hop knows very well that this wasn't a conversation she wanted to have but he cant just let this slide. "Just how long are you going to keep yourself hidden, huh? Just how many more years will you keep this dissapearing act up? Eventually the truth will come out and you'll have to say something."

He hated noticing her quick gasp and surprised expression when he grabbed her shoulders, feeling how tense her body quickly became. "Gloria, I'm so sorry for not realizing how you were truly feeling. For not noticing how you felt on our journey when we we're little kids. But _please_ , give everyone a chance to say something."

Her eyes were shadowed by her bangs. She grabbed on tightly on her friend's arms. He can feel her nails digging into his coat sleeves. He was completely caught up in the moment that he didnt noticed Zoroark growling in the distance and his eyes glowing an ominous blue or Gloria muttering a command under her breath. "Im sure that ten years was more than enough time for everyone to realize what was happening and thinking of how to say sorry to you. But you have to give them a chance. Please see them. Please talk to them. Victor would be over the moon when he finds out that his twin sister is okay. Please just-"

Her form dissapated into black smoke and Hop almost feel into the ground due to the sudden disappearance of his best friend and loss of grip. He tripped and coughed out the smoke out of his lungs, quickly regaining his balance. Zoroark wasn't there anymore and the sound of the night wind was the only thing that surrounded him once the smoke subsided. He figured that this was one of many illusions she had practiced and frantically looked around him for any sign of her.

Nothing.

He sighed. The day he finally met her and she poofed into black smoke to get away. Hop groaned and ruffled with his purple hair, mentally cursing at himself for scaring away the woman he wanted to see for so long.

"I'm sorry, Hop."

His body went on alert and his golden eyes searched all around to see any signs of her. Nothing.

"As much as I want to see them again, I'm to scared to even face them." She said

He can hear the sadden tone in her voice now.

"Please, understand that for me, it's not the right time. I'm still affected after everything that has happened, even after ten years. I know I'll have to see them again one way or another, but now isnt the right time. I need to be alone."

Hop felt cold arms wrap around his waste and a face nuzzled into his back. Her body was cold. This isn't her.

"Please," she said

Her voice was right there. Her grip was there. But she wasnt truly there.

"Be patient with me. I will see them again. I will see you again. I promise."

Her arms distorted and faded away, along with the rest of her form. He saw Zoroark in the shadows at the entrance of the shrine. Glowing blue eyes mocking him from afar and making it worse through a cackling laugh before fading away in the darkness.

Hop sighed and stuffed his hands into his pant pockets. Even though her hug was an illusion, deep down, he knew her words were true at heart.

He knows we will see her again. In due time, he will.

**Author's Note:**

> I had an idea of Gloria becomin an Illusionist and having Zoroark as her first Pokemon and just didn't know how to put the idea down to typing. But here we are


End file.
